Now
that most of us Brits have heaved a huge sigh of relief over the
decision of (most of) the Scots not to go with independence, reality
is breaking in, shining a light and revealing a huge mess. And it's
one which can't possibly be cleared up in the (cynical?) timeframe posited by David
Cameron. At worst, there's a Gordian knot. At best, there's possibly
years of political wrangling over what powers will be devolved,
first, to Scotland and, then, to the English regions. These would be
the equivalent of the Spanish Autonomous Communities, I guess. And
they don't yet exist, never mind wield power. As of today - terrified
by the prospect that (Labour) Scottish MPs won't be allowed to vote
in an English forum - the Labour party leader is accusing the Prime
Minister of gimmicky precipitate action in promising constitutional
reform for the English. So Labour don't just reject the timetable but
also the principle. They had to do it, of course, but it won't go
down well. But when you've been painted into a corner, you have to
get your feet sticky. This show could run and run. And there's not
long to go before the next general election. Hey ho.
Things
in Spain are even more interesting. Which is not something often said about
constitutional issues. Yesterday the Catalan parliament confirmed
that the region/country/nation will go ahead with a referendum on
independence in November. So the Spanish Cabinet will hold an
emergency meeting this weekend to decide on what action - short of
sending in the tanks - to take in response. Let's hope it doesn't
involve Vladimir Putin. Having been confused/bemused by whatever
President Rajoy's strategy has been, I rather liked this comment from
an El Mundo columnist today:- "If the [Catalan]
consultation approves a separatist program, it won't be because of
the merits of the independistas - who have none at all - but
because of the stupidity of their opponents, who have this in
abundance."
Spanish
lampposts have been in the national news this week, following the
death of one young person who just leant against one and a second who
rashly urinated on one. And here's a video of a lamppost in a town along our coast which appears to double up as a (leeky) water reservoir. I've
often wondered about Spanish wiring over the years but will now be
doubly cautious. Where are Health & Safety when, for once, you
really need them.
Finally
. . . My impression is that it's generally recognised that Spain is a
quilt-work of 'authorities' and that it would be foolish to expect
them to act, or even legislate, in the same way in matters for which
they have authority. The end result, of course, is a certain
arbitrariness. I say this after reading that 8 young people
were each fined €101 for playing Ludo late at
night in Malaga. The police said they'd received complaints from
neighbours about the "noise made by the dice". Elsewhere in
Spain, it seems, a noise level 10 times greater than this is
perfectly OK. Especially if you're an idiot on a scooter that's had
its silencer removed.
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